Kentucky men’s basketball announced its third and final exhibition game on Friday afternoon, officially completing its 2026 non-conference schedule.
Head coach Mark Pope and his third-year squad will face 17 non-conference opponents; the schedule includes 13 home games, 1 road game, and three contests that are set to be played at neutral sites.
Here is a full breakdown of the upcoming action.
Exhibition Games:
Before the 2026-27 campaign officially tips off, Kentucky will face one mid-major school and two Big12 schools in an effort to get ready for the regular season.
Arkansas-Little Rock (UAC): Oct. 16
Texas Tech (Big12): Oct. 23
UCF (Big12): Oct. 28
Home Games:
As per usual, the Cats’ non-conference home schedule is blistered with mid-major teams; all opponents are non-power-five schools, except for one, to be exact. The mid-major programs and lone power-five team taking a trip to Lexington include:
Manhattan Jaspers (MAAC): Nov. 3 (Regular Season-Opener)
James Madison (Sun Belt): Nov. 6
Northern Arizona (Big Sky): Nov. 13
Grambling State (SWAC): Nov. 16
Wichita State (American): Nov. 27
Appalachian State (Sun Belt): Dec. 5
Bryant (American East): Dec. 8
Louisville (ACC): Dec. 12
Sacred Heart (MAAC): Dec. 22
Gardner-Webb (Big South): Dec. 28
Neutral Site Games
Kentucky’s non-conference schedule also includes three neutral-site games, one of which is the second edition of a home-and-home series with a minor shakeup, and two of which are recurring regular-season events.
The events and opponents include:
Kansas (Big12): Nov. 10 in the State Farm Champions Classic (State Farm Arena, Atlanta)
North Carolina (ACC): Dec. 19 in the CBS Sports Classic (Madison Square Garden, New York City)
Home-and-Home:
Indiana (Big10): Nov. 20 (Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis)
Lone Away Game:
Kentucky’s lone away game is a part of the SEC/ACC Challenge; it will be the Cats’ fourth go-around in the mid-season event.
Virginia (ACC): Dec. 2 in the SEC/ACC Challenge (John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, Virginia)
Here is a graphic put out by the team’s official social media account to help make it more clear to visualize if you need it.
UK is set to face several strong opponents during the first half of its 2026-27 season, teams like Louisville, Kansas, Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, etc. With those opponents on the horizon, the Cats have a golden opportunity to build a strong resume and generate positive momentum heading into SEC play at the start of 2027.
17 games before conference play… What do you think their record will be after these?
If you enjoyed this story, follow us on social media for more Kentucky coverage, breaking news, and analysis delivered as it all unfolds. Over 150,000+ already do! We’re on Facebook, X/Twitter, TikTok, and more. Go Cats!
Leave a Reply